Contents

History

King under the Mountain

At Erebor, Thrór and his people were very prosperous. Gaining the friendship of the Northmen who lived along the river Celduin. These people later founded the town of Dale and had much trade of goods, beautiful trinkets, and weapons with the Dwarves. The Ereborians also had much traffic of ores with their kinsman in the Iron Hills. And the region had peace and prosperity for many years.

In 2770 though their prosperity ended. The Dragon Smaug heard of the wealth of Thrór and his people. And he came south from the Ered Mithrin and sacked the Lonely Mountain, killing many Dwarves. But from the destruction many escaped last of them being Thrór and his son Thráin from the hidden Side Door. So with a small company of kin and faithful followers they made the great wandering south, until they reached the hills of Dunland.

Dunland, and the journey to Moria

Why Thrór and his people chose to settle in Dunland is not clear, but they tried to make a living. However twenty years after the Sack of Erebor despondent and homeless, Thrór now old and desperate, gave his son Thráin II his Ring of Power, along with the map and key to the Lonely Mountain.
"It takes gold to breed gold," He said to Thráin at their parting.
"Surely you are not thinking of returning to Erebor?" Thráin said.
"Not at my age," Thrór said to him. "But our vengeance on Smaug I bequeath upon you and your sons. I am tired of poverty and the scorn of Men. I go to see what I can find."
He did not say where. Thrór left his people and went north with a single companion, an old friend Nár.

Eventally they made it over the Redhorn Pass down into Azanulbizar the Dimrill Dale. And when Thrór came to the East-gate of Moria he found it open. Nár begged him to beware, but he took no heed of him, and walked through the gates as the heir who had returned. But he did not come back.

Death

Nár stayed nearby for many days in hiding until one day he heard the blast of a horn, and Thrór's body was flung out of the Gate and onto the steps; his head was severed and lay face downward. As he crept near, he saw branded across his forehead in Dwarvish runes the name AZOG.

Azog then called out to him from the Gate with a warning that beggars who would not wait at his doors but instead sneaked in to attempt thieving, would fare the same fate. Azog then proclaimed that he had murdered Thrór and that he ruled Moria. He demanded that Nár deliver the message to the family of Thrór. Nár was barred from retrieving the head of Thrór. As a final insulting gesture, he was struck with a small pouch of coins of little worth. Weeping, Nár took the pouch and fled down the Silverlode. He looked back and saw that Orcs had emerged from the Gate and were hacking Thrór's body into pieces and throwing them to the crows.

Aftermath

When Nár returned to Dunland with the tale, Thráin wept and cursed and tore his beard and then fell silence. For seven days he sat in silence with little food or drink. Finally on the seventh day, he stood up and said, "This cannot be borne!" He declared war on the Orcs and sent word to the corners of the world, calling on all the Seven Houses together for vengeance.
Nine years later at the Battle of Azanulbizar, the climax of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs the Thrór was avenged, and Thráin took the Azog's severed head and shoved the purse of coins into his mouth then set it on a stake.